Civil liberties organizations and academics are voicing deep concerns over the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian student activist at Columbia University. His arrest, which came after a supportive iftar dinner, is seen as a significant infringement on free speech under the Trump administration. Experts like Nader Hashemi argue that the government's actions are not primarily about combating anti-Semitism but are instead aimed at stifling pro-Palestinian activism in the U.S. Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, was notably involved in protests against Israel's actions in Gaza, and his arrest raises alarms about the suppression of dissent.
"Ostensibly, the moral justification is to combat anti-Semitism, always a noble goal," Nader Hashemi, a professor of Middle East and Islamic politics at Georgetown University, told Al Jazeera. But, Hashemi warned, this justification is being used as a smoke screen to tamp down on pro-Palestinian views in the United States.
"Objectively, what is really happening is an effort to silence all public expression of support for Palestinian human rights to placate right-wing supporters of Israel within the Republican Party," he said. "That is how this topic should be framed and understood."
Khalil, however, was a prominent figure in protests against Israel's war in Gaza at the Ivy League university, and Trump has repeatedly voiced his desire to expel such protesters from the country.
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